The Hon. Chad Schmucker, 60, is president of the National Judicial College. He arrived in Reno last November after being a lawyer and then a judge in Michigan. The National Judicial College has 35 staff, plus hundreds of part-time faculty, many of whom donate their time, Schmucker said. The college is a nonprofit organization located at the University of Nevada, Reno, but is not part of the university.

HOW DID YOU GET THIS GREAT JOB?

Schmucker: I went to law school, practiced law in Michigan, then had an opportunity to become a judge. I really hadn’t thought about being a judge but it was a great opportunity for me. It’s an interesting, challenging job. I handled the serious cases: felonies, divorces, large civil cases. I did that for 20 years.

It was a great job. I started a drug court, a mental health court, a court for domestic violence. And then, I’d gotten to the point where I was divorcing people — and I’d divorced their parents. I was sending people to prison —and I’d sent their parents to prison. I think I’d seen about everything. Then, I was then state court administrator for about three years. When this job came up, it seemed like a perfect job for me.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE RENO?

Schmucker: It seemed like a great adventure, particularly for us. My wife and I were born and raised in the same community in Michigan. I spent most of my life in the same ZIP code! I really hadn’t explored Reno that much (in prior visits to attend judicial college programs). We really enjoy the community. It’s a bigger city than we’re used to: There’s shopping, there’s more nightlife, theater, events, the Aces and activities at UNR. We’ve found it to be a vibrant, really interesting city. Maybe it’s because so many people are from other places, but everybody seems to be very welcoming, wanting to meet new people.

WHAT DO YOU DO EVERY DAY?

Schmucker: I help supervise some of the academic programs, and I try to provide some general direction. Then there’s administration, fundraising, developing new programs. I try to promote the college. I try to make sure the programs are sustainable — sometimes it’s not just the content, but it’s the funding. I work with grants, with foundations, with the courts. We have a grant to put on training for judges on human trafficking. We’re working on (a program) developing special skills in working with self-represented litigants.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL A KID WHO WANTS TO DO THIS?

Schmucker: People enter the law from a variety of disciplines. You’ll often hear someone say, “My son or daughter is in pre-law.” And while they have those programs, those really aren’t necessary. Some people come to the law from business school. Some come from engineering. One of the lawyers in my firm had a music degree. You can come to the law with just about anything. But you need to have good reading and writing skills, and develop good analytical skills. It’s hard because people don’t write much anymore. You text, you send emails. I would urge someone to develop the writing skills and that’s going to lead you to a career in law.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART?

Schmucker: I like talking with the judges. The judges that come out here (to judicial college programs) are highly motivated. They need to understand about domestic violence, about mental health, about scientific evidence. You need to know about mediation, and alternative dispute mediation. Sad but true, you need to know about judicial security and safety. The job has gotten so much more complex in what we expect of judges.

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST?

Schmucker: The complexity of some of the grants involved. You knew there was some paperwork involved; you knew an envelope didn’t just come from Washington, D.C., with $300,000 in it. I’d had grants before but here, we’ve 15 grants going at the same time. All the complexities and partners and subcontracts and rules — that surprised me.